The Central West Region produces 53% of the 2nd harvest corn obtained in Brazil, and the municipality of Lucas do Rio Verde (MT) leads this production, with 595,100 tons produced in 2006.

The Central West Region produces 53% of the 2nd harvest corn obtained in Brazil, and the municipality of Lucas do Rio Verde (MT) leads this production, with 595,100 tons produced in 2006. Corn in grain is planted in 95.6% of the Brazilian municipalities and, in 2006, a total of 42.7 million tons.

For the first time, IBGE has released results for the national production of corn (in grain) separated into 1^st and 2^nd harvests. These disaggregated data are available on IBGE’s web site, in an interactive system, the IBGE system of Automatic Recovery (SIDRA).

The agricultural product with the biggest national coverage, corn is planted in 5,319 Brazilian municipalities (95.6%). Being a temporary crop (which needs replanting after harvested), corn can be planted from August to June without the need of irrigation, and its vegetative cycle lasts about 140 days. The data obtained by IBGE, through the Systematic Survey of Agricultural Production and the Municipal Agricultural Survey, refer to crops with more than one hectare and levels of production above 1 metric ton.

The production of 1^st harvest corn, between 2002 and 2006, account, on average, for 76.3% of the overall production of corn (grain) harvested in the country; the output of 2^nd harvest corn accounted for the other 23.7%. The South Region had, on average, 47% of the national production of 1^st harvest corn. In case of 2^nd harvest corn, the major contribution came from the Central West Region (53%), where most agricultural areas are occupied with summer soybean crops.

Paraná and Mato Grosso lead 1^st and 2^nd harvests, respectively

Paraná accounts, on average, for 27% of the national production of corn, being the major producer in the country, and providing 10.9 million metric tons of corn (grain) a year. It leads the national ranking of production of 1^st harvest corn; however, it lost the leadership in production of 1^st harvest corn for Mato Grosso, in the last two years studies (2005 and 2006).

At municipal level, the biggest quantity of 1^st harvest corn produced in the period was that of Chapadão do Céu (GO), with 379,968 metric tons in 2003. For 2^nd harvest corn, the highlight was the municipality of Lucas do Rio Verde (MT), with 595.100 metric tons produced in 2006. In terms of the average yield of the municipalities of Iguatu (PR) and Bom Sucesso do Sul (PR) were the ones which obtained the highest levels of productivity of 1^st harvest corn, surpassing the 9,900 Kg/ha in the year 2005. In terms of 2^nd harvest corn, the municipality of Brasilândia de Minas (MG) reached the highest index, with 8,700 kg/ha in 2006.

Second harvest does not have a pre-defined planting period

Corn crops, especially in the Central-Southern part of Brazil, have two planting periods. The first harvest (summer planting) is conducted at the traditional time, during the rainy period, which goes from the end of August, in the South Region, to October and November, in the Southeast and Central West. In the Northeast, it occurs in the beginning of the year.

The second harvest (little harvest) refers to irrigated corn, planted from January to April, normally after the early soybean crops, and, in some places, after summer corn and water beans. Second-harvest beans does not have a fixed planting period, differently from first-harvest corn, which is planted in the rainy period.

Time series show reduction of planted area for the first harvest, due to the competition with soybeans, which has been partially compensated by the increase of corn planting in the 2^nd harvest.

Having been planted at the end of the recommended period, 2^nd harvest corn had its productivity affected by the occurrence of rain, by sunlight and by temperature in the final phase of the cycle. As it is planted after a summer crop, 2^nd harvest corn also depends on the time of planting and of the cycle of the preceding crop.